Cushion.



A. H. ORDWAY.

o'nsmou. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1907. 926,821 Patented July 6,1909.

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VWTNESSES A. H. ORDWAY.

CUSHION.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1907.

Pdtented July 6, 1909.

ANDREW. a. mumu UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT I-I. ORDWAY, OF FRAMINGHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

CUSHION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT H. OnnwAY, of Framingham, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Cushions, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to improvements in cushions.

The object is to provide a resilient spring cushion which may serve asthe seat or back of a chair, sofa or other article of furniture, with ahigh degree of comfort and durability.

Another object is to provide an inexpensive construction for such anarticle, easily and cheaply repaired in case of damage, capable ofmanufacture in a variety of forms or shapes, without requiring anauxiliary backing or support, as is customary in upholstery.

The objects of the invention are accomplished by providing amultiplicity of spring rods arranged as parallel arches and boundtogether transversely by tiesencircling the individual rods.

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 represents, in vertical medial section, achair having a seat and a back embodying the invention. Fig. 2represents a plan of a cushion for a chair seat or back with part of thecovering broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the same sort. Fig.4 represents a section through the latter on the plane 4--4 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings: The frame of the chair has legs 10 and a backframe 11.

The seat and the back embodying the inven-' tion are preferably formedof a combination of tempered steel and hemp, having wooden end bars orsills 12 between which are arches of steel spring-rods 13, preferablyinserted in the sill 12 at each end, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Thesills are bolted or otherwise suitably fastened to the frame at 14, thusbeing tied together by the rigid frame. The degree of curvature of thearches between them may be fixed by this means. The tempered rods may beformed or set with such shape or arch as is desired, according to themanner or place in which the cushion is to be used. Thus, in Fig. 1, inthe seat, the crown of the arch is formed near the front edge; and inthe back the crown is nearer the middle of the arch, being thus shapedto suit the com- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 22, 1907.

Patented July 6, 1909.

Serial No. 380,270.

fort of the user. The spring rods 13 are approximately parallel, asshown in Fig. 2. A "lexible tie, preferably India hemp cordage, fastensthem together transversely, encircling the individual wires, as shown inFig. 4. Preferably, the strand of cordage, starting at one side bar, asrepresented at 15 in Fig. 3, passes over the face of the first steel rod15, encircles it, and after thus passing around the rear appears uponthe face again at 16 close beside itself, whence it passes, on the faceside of the work, to the next rod 13, encircling it likewise, and so onuntil the entire width ofthe seat or back is covered. The

same piece of cordage is then brought back in the same manner to theside bar whence it started, being carried from one rod to another on theface side thereof. As shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, this coverscompletely the face side of the steel rods, concealing them from view.This constitutes a multiplicity of transverse ties between adjacentarches, so that when the weight of a user of the chair is imposed uponan arch and the arch yields thereunder, the rod is tied so that itcannot slip or spread sidewise away from its neighbor on either side,but the tension is transmitted transversely through the ties to otherarches. This instantly brings the resiliency of the remaining arches tothe assistance of the particular arch or arches upon which. the stressis applied, and causes the surface to yield resiliently withoutspreading of rods, and without imposing excessive stress upon any one orfew individual arches or a few individual ties, as might be the case ifthe cordage were simply woven through the rods instead of encirclingthem individually. The cushion may be finished by dipping in shellac,which the cordage absorbs. The shellac fastens together the initial andfinal portion of each convolution of the cordage about a rod. Withoutthe shellac the friction of one bit of cordage against a neighboring bitof cordage would undoubtedly be sufficient to prevent slipping of thecordage around the rod when under stress; but with the addition of theadhesive qualities of the shellac such slipping is preventedeffectually, so that whenever one rod is depressed a pull is transmittedto the adj acent rod to which its cordage binders run. After applyingthe shellac the cushion may be mounted upon a chair or other furnitureframe as a seat or as a back, as desired, with the front and rear sills12 fastened rigidly thereto, or otherwise tied together in the directionof the chords of the arches, at such distance apart as is proper to givethe desired spring or crown to the arches.

In use, the resilient character of the arches enables the cushionsurface to yield at any point where pressure is applied. The fact thatthe end pieces or sills are iixed at rigid distances apart, and that thelength of spring rod comprising the arch between them is unchangeable,and that these rods cannot spread sidewise, causes the arch to bulge orcrown outward in other places to compensate for the depression, thusmaking a peculiarly comfortable support which yields to iit the usersback, for example, where the pressure is applied, and springs out tomeet and support the portions of his back which in an ordinary chair donot touch the chair back. The strength of the steel arches forms theultimate support, and eliminates the need of additional backing, as iscustomary for springs in upholstery. By this means a cushion effect isproduced in a very shallow space. Owing to the transverse distributionof pressures through the ties, the individual rods may be smaller insize than if no such ties were used, making a material reduction inexpense of manufacture. As the stresses transmitted by. the transversecordage ties are purely tensile stresses, and as the strain thustransmitted is taken by a yielding steel spring, the ties are not liableto early fracture, and there is no tendency to split or crack thematerial, as in the case of ratan or similar structures heretofore used.There is also no creaking between the cordage and the wire.

From the above it will be apparent that this article combines in itselfthe qualities and functions of a cushion and of the supporting surfaceon which a cushion is ordinarily mounted by forming what may be calledspring trusses. Repairs may be made at any time by cutting out a portionof the ties and inserting fresh.

While the drawing shows the best form in which I contemplate using theinvention, it is obvious that variations from that form may be madeembodying the principle of the invention, without departing from itsscope.

I claim:

1. A furniture cushion comprising metallic spring rods formed inparallel arches; transverse sills in which the arch-ends are bedded;means tying the rods together transversely intermediate of the sills;and means tying the sills together, rigidly limiting the distancebetween opposite arch-ends of the rods.

2. A furniture cushion comprising metallic spring rods formed inparallel arches, in combination with transverse ties binding the archedportions together; transverse sills in which the ends of the archedportions are set; and a furniture frame holding the sills at limiteddistances apart.

In testimony whereof I hereto aifix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

, ALBERT H. ORD VVAY.

WVitn'esses:

ELLIOTT B. CHURCH, M. E. MURPHY.

